One of the biggest grudge matches of the year will take place this weekend when Conor McGregor teammate Artem Lobov takes on former two-division boxing champion Paulie Malignaggi in a bare knuckle contest at BKFC 6 in Tampa, Florida.
Malignaggi has relentlessly provoked Lobov in an effort to get under McGregor’s skin, and BKFC president David Feldman believes the Irishman will take the bait and fly to Florida to support his SBG Ireland teammate and possibly get in ‘Magic Man’s’ face.
“They won’t give confirmation yet but if I’m a betting man, I’m betting he’s coming,” BKFC president David Feldman told MMAFighting’s Damon Martin in a recent interview. “They’re not going to give confirmation and if they are, they’re not going to tell us so we put it out there ‘hey Conor McGregor’s coming to the fight’ and then he’s mobbed.
“So it’s not going to happen like that but from the conversations I’m having, if I was going to bet on it, he’ll be there but who knows.”
Malignaggi has a history with McGregor dating back to 2017 when the Dubliner released footage of their controversial sparring session in the lead-up to the Floyd Mayweather bout in Las Vegas. Malignaggi, who believes the video footage was craftily edited to depict him as the lesser fighter, has been furious with Team McGregor ever since and the 38-year-old will probably reach boiling point if ‘The Notorious’ shows up at BKFC 6.
And, for that reason, Feldman has hired extra security for the event — just in case.
“We’re going to have ample security at the press conference and the weigh-ins,” Feldman revealed. “They’re staying at different hotels so that’s not going to be an issue but definitely as the press conference and weigh-in where we know they will see each other. I don’t think if they see each other, they’re going to just jump in but when they get in each other’s face and they’re that close and then they start talking, that’s when the problems arise.
“So we’re definitely going to have ample security, more than ample security and I don’t see anything arising. I don’t think either of them want to blow the opportunity for this event and they don’t want to blow their pay either.”
BKFC 6, which will feature Lobov vs. Malignaggi as the main event, takes place this Saturday, June 22 at Florida Stare Fairgrounds in Tampa, Florida.
